


Changing My Tune

by indigowild



Category: Agent Carter - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 02:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3711289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigowild/pseuds/indigowild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A muggy night, a restless Peggy on an evening shift with Daniel, and a radio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changing My Tune

_God, she felt restless tonight._

****

All day long a strange sort of energy had coursed through her. Peggy had tried ignoring it, focusing instead on making the time before her evening shift productive. However, she had quickly found that she had little patience for washing and hanging stockings, making a grocery list for Jarvis, or mending her clothes. Peggy remembered days like this back when she was at the various military encampments. At least there she could go for a run or challenge a grunt to spar until she had worked it out of her system. The urge to be reckless was very nearly overwhelming, and Peggy had been halfway through ringing up Stark to cajole him into teaching her how to fly one of his planes before she had stopped herself. In a last ditch effort to rid herself of the restlessness, she had decided to see how quickly she could climb up the drain pipe outside their 3rd floor kitchen window to the roof two stories above—only to be interrupted by a hysterical Jarvis who had stopped by for the shopping order. At that point, Peggy just resigned herself to feeling unsettled and had headed inside to get ready for work.

****

Sighing, Peggy lifted her damp curls off her neck for the third in time in an hour. If this was how hot the office was going to get during a warm spell in June, she was not looking forward to July and August. She had hoped that the building would be cooler in the evening, but the full wall of windows and the setting sun had proved to be a rather unfortunate combination. Maybe in another hour or so the breezes would finally cool things off a bit, but in the meantime it was definitely unpleasant. Peggy was grateful for the thin fabric and open neckline of her short sleeved blouse, even as her stockings clung damply to her legs. Glancing over at the desk next to her, she smiled.

Apparently Daniel was feeling the heat as well and had foregone his beloved sweater vest. She noted his open collar button, slightly loosened tie, and rolled up sleeves—his only concessions to the temperature along with moving to a desk nearer the windows. Bent over a jumble of screws and other parts, Daniel was attempting to resurrect one of their few desk fans. Her eyes slid down to his forearms and hands as he worked, the light from the desk lamp playing over the muscles in his arm as he tightened another screw. Daniel did have rather nice hands, she thought distractedly. His fingers were long and dexterous, deftly re-bending the correct angle into a crooked blade and adjusting a gear with delicate movements. Her mind feeling suddenly languid in the humid air, she found herself unable to look away. He picked up the fan, noticed a smear of oil on the housing, and moved to wipe it off. Cupping the base with one hand, his thumb swept gently over the smudge, like a lover brushing an eyelash off their partner's cheekbone. A strange shudder went up her spine, and she coughed to cover the slight gasp that had been making its way up her throat.

“You okay, Peg?” Daniel had stopped working and was looking at her, a shadow of a worried frown on his face. She felt her cheeks flush faintly at being caught daydreaming, especially considering the focus of her thoughts. _Pull yourself together, woman_ , her inner voice chided.

“Yes, I’m fine, Daniel. Just got a bit of dust in my throat from these old files. I really should just put them down on the floor.” She grabbed the cardboard box that was currently taking up the corner of her desk and placed it next to her chair. _That’s not entirely a lie, so it doesn’t count, right?_ She pushed her hair back off her forehead and smiled brightly.  

He returned it with his usual grin. “You want me to turn the big fan over this way more? I’m getting up to get some water, anyway.”

_Good. Perhaps he would attribute the pink cheeks to the heat of the office._ “Thank you. How’s the work on your fan coming along?”

“Pretty good. I think I might have it done in the next ten minutes or so. I don’t think the thing had been cleaned since before the war.” He grabbed his crutch and maneuvered himself to a standing position. “I’m not sure which war, though. Revolutionary or Civil?”

Chuckling, Peggy watched as he made his way across the room. Tonight seemed to be a good night for Daniel, no evidence of the stiffness or wincing that sometimes accompanied his walking. As he reached up to angle the fan more towards their corner of the room, she wondered idly what sorts of physical activities he had enjoyed before his injury. _Basketball, perhaps?_ Maybe the strong shoulders she had glimpsed back at the infirmary spoke of teenage years filled with baseball or American football practice. An image of a young Daniel in a track uniform jumping hurdles suddenly flashed in her mind— _legs pumping, a quick arc in the air, then snapping back down_. She smiled, enjoying his freedom and grace.

“Files that good, huh? I’m jealous. All I got were those ancient phone records to go through, and I finished that hours ago. Guess Thompson likes you better this week.” Startled, Peggy snapped back to the present to find Daniel already on his way back to his desk, water cup in hand. 

“Um, no, just…just thinking of…of an amusing story Angie told me earlier about a customer at work. He…kept insisting that the decaf coffee was actually caffeinated and wouldn’t listen to anyone. He said he could taste the caffeine in it, so she finally went back and poured him a cup of regular coffee. He took one sip and told her that was the best decaf coffee he’d ever had. Anyway, just finished going through the last report right now.”

_Smooth, Peggy, real smooth._ She made a show of shuffling some papers around, stacking up the folders, and putting them in the box. She had actually been finished for over an hour, but had just been too distracted to put them away properly. Contemplating her empty desk, Peggy wondered what on Earth she was going to do to fill the remaining time of her shift, especially when she was feeling this antsy.

Daniel’s chair scraped softly across the floor as he sat down, leaning his crutch against the edge of the desk. Peggy glanced over as he focused on the fan again, his brow slightly creasing with concentration. A stray lock fell over his forehead as he leaned forward, drawing her attention to his normally well groomed hair. Apparently the heat and humidity were too much for his hair tonic, and she was surprised to see that his hair was actually quite wavy with small damp curls forming along his neckline and behind his ears. _Would they be soft and smooth between her fingers or crisp and springy…oh, good heavens!_

Standing abruptly, Peggy walked briskly across the room, trying to bring her thoughts back under control. She stopped next to the radio that sat on a small table outside Dooley’s old office. Impulsively, she switched it on, turning the dial until she found a big band playing a lively tune. Tilting her head, she gave Daniel an enquiring look. He glanced over from where he was tightening a final screw and nodded. Daniel picked up the fan, wrapping the cord around its base.

“Well, I think I’ve got it working now. You want to try it out?” He gestured to her desk. Peggy eagerly took the fan from him and went to plug it in. His satisfied smile as the blades whirred to life spoke volumes, and he went back to putting away his tools. Sighing happily, Peggy turned, lifting the hair off the back of her neck and directing the cool breeze there.

“Did you get much mechanical training while you were in service, Daniel?” she asked idly, eyes closed and enjoying the sensation of the air tickling the fine hairs on the back of her neck.

“Nah. I learned it from an old neighbor of mine, Mr. Pereira. After my dad died, he started teaching me how to fix things—clocks, lamps, radios, that kind of stuff. I used to like tinkering around with junk, always had something taken apart on my desk in my room. Drove my mom crazy, but she sure was happy when I fixed her electric iron for her. I’m good with my hands.”

“I’m sure you would be.” The words slipped out of her mouth, sotto voce. Her eyes flew open. _Bloody Nora, what did I just say?!_ Flustered, Peggy began babbling rapidly, backing away from her desk. “I mean, being able to fix things like that is a wonderful skill to have. Quite useful. And very resourceful .” She couldn’t tell if Daniel’s expression was confused or bemused. “Um, I’m just going to go freshen up. Feeling rather dusty after going through those files you know.” She waved her hands in front of her feebly, turned quickly on her heel, and fled to the lavatory. 

****

_Please tell me that I did not just insinuate that my coworker would be a talented lover. While in his presence. In our workplace. After fantasizing about his arms and hair. Oh, dear God, I did…_

A quick glance in the mirror confirmed her fears that this indeed was what had just happened—her cheeks were burning red, her eyes wide and panicky. Peggy ran some cold water over her hands and wrists, focusing on calming her breathing. _In two three, out two three, in two three, out two three._

_Alright, this is nothing to panic about. A mere slip up. Completely understandable—after all he is an attractive man, intelligent, tenacious, kind. For all you know, he didn’t even interpret it that way. You could just walk right back out there, act like nothing happened, and you know he would never mention it._

However, that plan just didn’t feel right to Peggy. For one, it was cowardly and took advantage of his kind nature. For another…well, she obviously did have some feelings for him. She had hoped after she had turned down his drink invitation initially that he would ask her again, but he never did. Several times over the last few weeks she had been on the verge of asking him out for dinner or drinks herself, but the phone always rang or someone came up and interrupted them.

_Well, you’re the one who has been craving some kind of thrill today. Here’s your opportunity. Take a chance. You know better than anyone else not to let one slip by._

Peggy took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. Smoothing her own humidity induced waves with her hand, she attempted to make a plan. After all, plans were what she was good at.

1) Walk out there.

2) Smile.

3) ........

Sadly, she couldn’t think of anything beyond step two. And she’d already been in the bathroom long enough for it to seem odd. Tossing caution to the wind, Peggy turned and opened the door, deciding on step three—improvise.

***

She walked back down the hall, attempting to radiate confidence. However, her footsteps were far quieter than usual, betraying a certain nervousness. As she reached the bullpen, she slowed, stopping at the entrance to assess the situation.

Daniel was seated at his desk, seemingly engrossed in the evening newspaper. He was humming softly, swaying his head and shoulders to the music unconsciously. Peggy stood there for a moment, her lips quirking.

“That song was pretty popular at the USO dances. ” Peggy’s voice floated across the fading moments of the song. Daniel startled, his movements stilling instantly as color rose to his cheeks. She walked over to the chair next to his desk and sat, smiling softly. After a moment, his shoulders relaxed and he grinned.

“You know, I saw Count Basie once, back before I enlisted. Some of the guys and I snuck in to see him in this club in Queens. He was incredible.” 

“Did you go dancing a lot as a teenager?” Peggy could imagine a young Daniel, hair slicked back, fresh faced.

“Yeah, I loved it. I have two older sisters, Inés and Carlota. They taught me all the dances that came along, mainly because they wanted to have someone they could practice with. Our mom would let us push back the couch and the coffee table, I’d turn on the radio, and we’d dance there in the living room. Inés was pretty good, she even won second place at some competition at the dance hall we all used to go to. If we could scrape up enough money, my friends and I would go every weekend. Of course, I haven’t been able to cut a rug since the leg.” He shrugged. “How about you?”

“I went to an all girls high school, so we didn’t formally have dances. We would practice with each other, though. I enjoyed it. My parents never really allowed me to go to the dance halls. Of course, later there were the USO dances, but I had a difficult enough time maintaining my authority over the soldiers as it was. That would have just complicated matters. I had plans to go dancing after the war was over but….that never happened.” Daniel nodded, an understanding look crossing his face. Peggy found herself looking out the window, taking a moment to let the lump in her throat subside. 

As she turned in her seat to face Daniel again, her eyes fell upon an old rolling office chair that had been shoved off towards the corner. High, with no armrests and a minimal back, it was a far cry from the bulky wooden wheeled chairs the agents had at their desks. A sudden thought flashed through Peggy’s mind.

“Daniel, I have an idea.”

She strode to the chair and crouched down to examine the mechanism that adjusted the seat height. It took a bit of work and a quick smack of her hand, but eventually Peggy was able to raise the seat higher. She glanced back at Daniel, who was watching her quizzically, made a slight adjustment to the knob and stood up. She rolled the chair over to Daniel’s side.

“Would you mind switching to this seat? And then scoot it over here, please?” Peggy indicated the small empty area next to the desks. Daniel looked puzzled but amused. She moved back a few steps to give him room as he carefully made the transfer. The height of the older chair brought his eyes level with her shoulders—she was happy she chosen lower heels than usual that morning—but his feet were still able to rest on the floor. As Daniel pushed the chair over to where she had pointed and sat waiting with an expectant look, Peggy took a deep breath. _You can do this. You have jumped off planes, fought on top of a moving car, infiltrated Castle Kaufmann for goodness sake._

“Daniel, would you do me the honor of sharing a first post war dance with me?” She stepped forward and held her hand out to him, willing herself to look calm. It felt as though the whole room had narrowed to just the space between the two of them. Her stomach clenched.

For a second, Daniel merely looked confused. Then she saw a myriad of emotions flicker across his face: fear, hesitancy, doubt. He studied her face seriously, and she felt her heart flutter nervously as he searched her eyes. Then the corner of his mouth quirked up, and his eyes grew warm.

“Peggy, I’d be delighted to.” As he leaned forward and clasped both her hands, she felt a cooling wave of relief flood through her. Wide smiles spread across both their faces. 

Daniel pushed his chair closer towards her with his good left leg, but the foot of his prosthesis dragged along the floor. He grimaced momentarily and dropped her hands. “Give me a just a second.” He bent over and took a quick look underneath the chair. Daniel grabbed his right leg with his hands and guided the knee into a bent position, tucking his foot inside the metal footrest that encircled the central support. He reached for her right hand, pulled her until she was standing between his knees, and placed his right hand gently on the small of her back. 

“Is this okay? I’m not quite sure what you have in mind.” Daniel looked up her, only a small hint of nervousness evident on his face. 

Peggy laughed. “I’m not quite sure myself. We’ll just have to figure it out together.” She paused, listening to the tempo of the song on the radio for a moment. “Shall we?”

With a squeeze of his left hand and an angling of his shoulders, they began. They kept their movements small at first, experimenting to see where wheels and feet would land relative to each other. There were a few awkward bumps of legs and arms as they figured out angles and distances, but they quickly fell into an easy rhythm. Daniel’s hand was warm and firm on her waist, and Peggy realized how carefree he looked. Emboldened by their success, they began toadd in some tiny flourishes—swingouts, triple steps and swivels. By the time Peggy was spinning under Daniel’s upraised arm, they were both laughing. It certainly wasn’t just like the dancing they had done in their pasts, but it was something they had created together, joyous and new.

Returning to the starting position after a particularly silly series of moves that had taken them all around their dancing space, Daniel suddenly stopped his chair. He stared up at her, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Do you trust me, Peggy?”

_I trusted you enough to walk away from you while you had a gun pointed at my back. I should have trusted you before then._

“Yes,” she said simply.

It all happened so quickly, Peggy couldn’t work out the mechanics of it until later on. Raising his right thigh, Daniel pulled his foot free of the foot rest, planting it firmly on the ground. He pulled Peggy down to sit on his good leg, guiding her right arm to grasp behind his neck. He leaned forward, right arm supporting her back, and dipped her.

“Daniel!” she squealed, the sudden movement making her head spin deliciously. He let out a deep laugh and held her there for a moment. _Not falling, but floating._ She relaxed into his arms.

He pulled her upright carefully, a broad smile across his face.

Which now was only inches from hers as she sat on his lap. 

Peggy could feel the warmth of his body, smell the cedar and spice scent of his aftershave. Unconsciously the fingers she had wrapped around the back of his neck moved to caress the curls at the very ends of his hair. _Soft and smooth._ His eyes were a lovely shade of brown, pupils blown wide as he stared back at her. She could feel his breath skating over her lips and cheeks.

The words sprang unbidden from them, each speaking over the other.

“Peggy, do you want to go out for a…”“Daniel, would you care to go for…”

They stopped and chuckled, mildly flustered. _Well, he’s already had the courage to ask me out once before. I believe that makes this my turn._ She started over.

“Daniel, would you like to go for a drink or perhaps a piece of pie after our shifts are done in…,” she twisted to look at the clock. “…in 25 minutes?”

His face settled into an easy grin. “Well, seems I’ve worked up a bit of an appetite after all of that dancing. I wouldn’t say no to a piece of pie and some company.”

Peggy felt her smile widen. Reluctantly, she stood up, straightening her skirt. “Splendid. I’ll just go and fill out the shift report quickly.” As she turned to go to her desk, Daniel reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Peggy…thanks. For the dance. I didn’t think I’d ever do that again.”

She shifted her hand in his, running her thumb lightly over his knuckles. “Nor did I. I guess I was just waiting for the right partner.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Daniel's sisters' names borrowed with permission from user mutents/Sovsa's head canon.
> 
> I did test the dancing/chair stuff out with my husband. Not the most graceful of things, but still quite fun. No office chairs were harmed in the planning of this fic.
> 
> Marvel owns the world, I own my brain.
> 
> Yes, I'm going to writer hell for the utter cheesiness of the last line, but it had to be done.


End file.
